Question

Which of the following plant groups is called vascular cryptogams?

• A. Algae
• B. Fungi
• C. Bryophyte
• D. Pteridophyte

Answer 1

The correct option is D Pteridophyte

• Pteridophyta (Gr, Pteron = feather, phyton = plant), the name was originally given to those groups of plants which have well developed pinnate or frond like leaves.
• Pteridophytes are cryptogams (Gr. kruptos = hidden, and Gamos = wedded) which have well developed vascular tissue.Majority of the living Pteridophytes are terrestrial and prefer to grow in cool, moist and shady places.
• Majority of the Pteridophytes are herbaceous but a few are perennial and tree like.Plant body is sporophytic and can be differentiated into root, stem and leaves.
• Roots are adventitious in nature with monopodial or dichotomous branching. Internally usually they are diarch. Stem is usually branched. Branching is monopodial or dichotomous.
• Branches do not arise in the axil of the leaves. In many Pteridophytes stem is represented by rhizome.
• Leaves may be small, thin, scaly (microphyllous e.g., Equisetum), simple and sessile (e.g., Selaginella) or large and pinnately compound (megaphyllous e.g., Dryopteris, Adiantum).
• Vascular tissue is present in stem and root. It consists of xylem and phloem.
• Xylem consists of tracheids only and phloem has only sieve tubes.
• The steel is protostele (e.g., Rhynia, Lycopodium), siphonostele (e.g., Equisetum), dictyostele Adiantum) or polycyclic (e.g., Angiopteris). Cambium is absent; hence, they do not show secondary growth.